


Checking the Specs

by RogueFoxPaws



Category: Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Yavin 4, can't sleep
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-23
Updated: 2019-04-23
Packaged: 2020-01-24 08:58:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,565
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18568114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RogueFoxPaws/pseuds/RogueFoxPaws
Summary: It's late-night at the Yavin 4 base and Poe finds a certain someone in the cockpit of his latest project.





	Checking the Specs

“And then, this switch here activates the communication system.”

“This one? The silver one?”

“Yep, that one.”

Rey was sitting in the cockpit of an X-Wing Fighter that was docked in the hangar bay. Beside her, Poe stood on a ladder, one arm resting on the side of the starfighter. He was reaching inside the cockpit, pointing to a small switch next to a black screen.

“I can’t wait until I get the modifications done on this thing. After that, it’ll be an all-new paint job.” Poe ran his hand along the metal, smiling. “It’s not Black One, but it’ll do.”

“Who knows? Maybe it’ll turn out to be even better than the one before.” Rey shrugged her shoulders as she looked at Poe.

“Nah, I doubt that. Black One was top of the line. I had everything on her customized. She was kind of my own personal project since the day I officially joined the squadron.” Sadness appeared in Poe’s eyes as he reminisced. It passed as soon as it came, though, when Rey spoke again.

“I’m sorry, Poe. But if what I’ve heard is true, you’ll be flying this new X-Wing without any trouble.”

Poe let out a small laugh. “I wouldn’t call the T-65s ‘new.’”

Rey rolled her eyes in response. “Well, ‘new to you.’”

“Sure, let’s go with that.” Poe nodded and smiled, wiping off some dust from the control panel.

“I really do appreciate you showing me around the hangar, Poe. It certainly beats sitting idly by in the briefing room waiting for news.”

“Anytime. It gives me something to focus on as well. Keeps me busy. Plus, I enjoy good company.”

Rey grinned at him. The two of them had been spending more and more time together in the hangar since they, and the rest of the Resistance fleet, had arrived on Yavin 4. Though it had long been abandoned from the days of the Rebellion, it ended up being a prime rendezvous point for the different squadrons - whether it was to refuel, stock up on supplies, or hear the latest news from loved ones (when it managed to come through the dated comm systems).

Poe patted the side of X-Wing. “Come on. Let’s go grab a quick bite, then we’ll come back and you can help me switch out these engine boosters.” As he climbed down the ladder, he held his hand out to help Rey out of the cockpit, though she hardly needed it.

Poe remembered how he was instantly impressed with Rey’s knowledge of the different fighters that had remained in the old hangar. He had come down to scope out the different options himself when he saw her studying one of the Y-Wing starfighters. They instantly dove into a conversation of what their favorite ships were and the different upgrades they each preferred. It wasn’t long before the hangar became their place to meet up and escape from the mindset of battle. When Poe had picked out one of the old T-65 X-Wing starfighters to fix up, he asked Rey if she would like to help him work on it, and surprised himself at how much he enjoyed seeing Rey’s face light up with excitement. From then on, he always made a point to find Rey before he would head to the hangar. Whether it was for her assistance with parts, or because he really wanted to see her, he couldn’t quite decide on that.

Now, as they made their way back to the interior of the base, Poe ran a hand through his hair as he spoke. “Leia is hopeful that the newest supporters we gained will help us take a huge advantage over the First Order. Anything to help us in this fight…”

“We can do this. We just have to stand together and fight.” Rey furrowed her brows and walked with determination.

“Yeah,” Poe replied, “all of us have to be willing to give it our all and then some if we’re going to even have a shot at winning this war.”

“It probably helps to have two of the best pilots around, also.”

“Well, well, you so sure about yourself, Sunshine? If you’re not careful, you might find yourself in a close race against me.”

“And if you’re not careful, I’ll have to beat you at your own challenge, Flyboy.”

Poe gave her a small laugh and stopped walking. Rey’s steps stopped as well and she turned to face him.

“Alright, then,” he said with a smirk, “As soon as we win this war, you and me. We’re gonna find the fastest speeders in the galaxy and it’ll be a race. Loser owes winner a new piece of equipment.”

“You’re on.”

—-

Late that night, Poe sat in the dim light shining onto his bunk, flipping through pieces of scrap paper.

“Come on, I know I wrote that stupid model number down…” He was growing more and more aggravated with each passing minute, trying to remember a specific number for a part he needed. After one last attempt, he folded the papers in half and sat them on the chair beside his bed. He let out a defeated huff and slid his arms into his jacket.

“Fine. I guess I’m going back to the hangar, then.”

A small beep came from a round, orange-and-white figure in the corner of the room. BB-8 looked up and rolled towards the door alongside him.

“No, buddy, it’s fine. I’ll be right back. Stay here and keep the lights on for me.”

Two short beeps came from the small droid before Poe slid the door shut behind him. He walked down the now empty hallways, making a few turns before he came to the mess hall. Just a few hours earlier, everyone had been sitting at different tables, laughing at jokes and catching a moment of camaraderie before the different night watches began.

He continued past the mess hall and out through the doorway that led to the hangar. Looking out into the night sky, he was reminded why this was his favorite place on the entire base. The stars were shining bright in a clear sky, the treeline rolling underneath. It was calming, a small reminder that even during the war, nature still kept its path and certain things would remain the same. He came to the X-Wing that was now his and grabbed onto the ladder. He had put his foot on the bottom rung when he noticed the cockpit was open.

_I could have sworn I shut that after supper…_ He climbed up the ladder, thinking of how he possibly could have forgotten to close it, when he discovered the reason sitting in the cockpit.

“Poe, oh my gosh!”

Rey jumped which caused Poe to jump in turn and have to catch himself on the side of the fighter.

“I’m so sorry!” she breathed out, “I know it’s your X-Wing, but I couldn’t sleep so I decided to come out here and clear my head!” She raised herself up and Poe caught her arm.

“No, no, you’re fine, really!” He reassured her, “I just wasn’t expecting anyone to be out here. I had to come get a model number off that engine booster we put in today. I couldn’t find my note I scratched down earlier.”

“Oh yeah, it’s right here.” Rey grabbed a yellowed piece of paper that was stuck into the side of the navigation screen and handed it to Poe. “We must have forgotten it earlier.”

He took the small piece of paper from her hand and a quick shock of excitement rushed up his arm when their fingers touched. Poe knew Rey was powerful with the Force, but he was pretty sure it had nothing to do with that in this particular moment.

“Of all the places to go when you can’t sleep,” he said as he shook his head and smiled, “I can’t say I’m surprised, but I still find it funny.”

“Glad to see you find my irregular sleeping habits comical,” Rey retorted, “I just can’t seem to get these dreams to stop, no matter what I do.”

Poe looked up at her and offered out his hand. “Well, why don’t you come tell me about them? See if we can figure them out together.”

Just like all the previous times, he offered to help Rey out of the cockpit, and also like previous times, he was reminded of how she didn’t need it. A few crates sat on the other side of the X-Wing, and the two had made a makeshift seat out of that and an old tarp lying there with them. From where they sat, they could see the stars perfectly. Rey stared out at them as she spoke.

“I’ve been able to keep the nightmares away somehow. Now I just tend to dream about things that are always on my mind. I have dreams about Leia, her eyes focused on the console as she struggles to decide on what to do next. And all I’m able to do is just stand there, silent. Unable to help her.” She sat forward and crossed her arms over her knees. “I dream about Finn and Rose, seeing them angry and scared as they fight off some of the First Order, taking aim whenever they can. My feet are always stuck in one place and I can’t get to them.” She drew her knees up closer to her chest and rested her chin on them. She was quiet for a moment and Poe turned to her, then back out at the night sky.

Rey spoke again, quietly, “And then there’s you. You and everyone else, taking off and flying out to the next mission. As always, I can’t move. I can’t yell or say anything at all. All I can do is just stand and watch. I’m always left with this feeling of not knowing. Not knowing if Leia is okay, not knowing if Finn and Rose survive, not knowing…” She turned her head away from Poe and he leaned forward to try and look at her.

Slowly, he reached out to her and gently placed his hand on top of hers. The excitement ran through his arm again, though this time it was a constant feeling instead of a shock. Without even realizing it, he ran his thumb over her knuckles, trying to reassure her. “Rey? What’s wrong?”

Slowly, she turned back towards him and sat up. Small tears had run down her cheek and she wiped them away with her other hand.

“I’m sorry, it’s nothing.”

“Something’s got you upset.” He gave her hand a slight squeeze. “You can talk to me. What’s wrong?”

“You’re going to hate me if I tell you.”

“I seriously doubt that. Unless what you’re about to tell me is that you’ve replaced BB-8 with some wild monkey. Then I might hate you.”

That seemed to help because Rey laughed as a smile crept through her sadness. She looked down at their hands as she told him, “I never know if you come back. In my dreams. I watch as you leave and fly away, but I always wake up before you come back. I wake up with this awful feeling deep in my stomach and it doesn’t go away until I see you again. I’m always scared that you’ve left in the middle of the night and that I might never get to see you again. That I’ll never get to tell you goodbye, or tell you…”

Poe watched as she nervously chewed on her bottom lip. She wouldn’t look up at him, and he turned so that his knees were touching hers. He took hold of both her hands and pleaded to her, “Rey, please. Tell me.” He realized now that the reason he would always come get her as he headed to the hangar, or the reason his mornings were a little brighter whenever they got to sit in on mission briefings together, or the reason he still had hope in this war that seemed without end, was because he had fallen in love with her. Now, to see her here in front of him, clearly hurting, it broke him.

“I just want to tell you, Poe, I think you’re amazing. My days are brighter because of you and the time we spend together. Not just talking about ships or the latest battle strategies, but telling jokes, complaining about the food, listening to you tell me about your family and your home here, or even just sitting together and listening to everyone else discuss what’s going on out there. When I’m with you, I have a little more hope than the day before because you make me feel like I’m actually a meaningful part in all of this.”

“Sunshine, you mean a lot to everyone here. There’s no doubt about that. But to me, you mean everything. Ever since that first time I saw you on Crait, I knew there was something special about you. And I don’t mean ‘Holy crap, she’s lifting rocks!’” This made Rey laugh again and Poe couldn’t help but laugh with her. Smiling, he held her face in each of his hands and looked right at her. He was nervous, but he went on, “No, I mean you’re special in that I thought, ‘Wow, this girl is going to save the entire galaxy. And I want to be there right beside her when she does, cheering her on.’”

Tears welled up in Rey’s eyes again and she smiled at him. They were so close, he could feel her breathing out. Poe wasn’t sure how long it was that they looked at each other when finally he took her lips in his. Just as he expected, she was warm and tasted of sunlight. It was that happy feeling you get when the day is perfect and everything is bright. That’s how it was when Poe kissed her. He kissed her to let her know she never needed to be afraid again. He kissed her to let her know she truly mattered to him. He kissed her to let her know he loved her. He felt her fingers running up through his hair, and it made him shiver. One of his hands made its way to her waist, and he drew her closer to him. Never again would she feel uncertain, at least with him. Finally, they broke apart and Poe stared at her. He gently stroked her cheek as her eyes closed.

“Not getting sleepy on me, are you?” he teased.

“Maybe just a little bit. It might help me fall asleep faster if you stayed with me. That way I’d know if you did have to leave in the middle of the night.”

“Sunshine, I’m not going anywhere.” He shifted and threw one leg over the side of the crate, holding his hand out to her. “Now, come on. Let’s get you to bed. You gotta stay alert and rested if you want a chance at beating me in a race.”

Rey rolled her eyes at him as she took his hand. As they walked back through the hangar, Rey nestled up beside him, Poe felt a little warmer and a little more hopeful than he’d ever been. He would make sure they would win this war, for everyone, and for Rey.

**Author's Note:**

> For all the lovely Damerey people I have met recently! Just thought you all might enjoy more Damerey readings! (Plus I really wanted to contribute to this fandom in some way. It's about dang time!)


End file.
